Cuyahoga Community College Foundation Honors Louis G. Joseph for Distinguished Service

The Cuyahoga Community College Foundation Board of Directors awarded its 2017 Heath Oliver Distinguished Director Award to Louis G. Joseph in recognition of his exemplary service to the College and its students for more than a decade.

Joseph, president and CEO of The Brewer-Garrett Company, joined the Foundation Board in 2001 and dedicated himself to making higher education accessible to residents of Northeast Ohio.

The Westlake resident and his wife established a scholarship fund with the Foundation in 2012 to help degree-seeking students meet their academic goals at Tri-C. The Valerie & Lou Joseph Endowed Scholarship Fund supports students in the College’s Honors Program Fellowship.

Joseph also has taken an active role on the Foundation Board, serving as board treasurer (2006-2010) and on the Finance Committee (2001-2010) and Executive Committee (2006-present). In addition, he has hosted Foundation events at his home.

"If you know Lou at all, you know that everything he does is done with passion and a purpose,” said Rick Chiricosta, chairperson of the Foundation Board. “He has been way more than just a board member for 16 years, and no one is more deserving of this recognition than him.”

The Heath Oliver Distinguished Director Award was established in memory of longtime Foundation Board Director Heath Oliver, president of Bardons & Oliver and a valuable member of the Board from 1988 until his death in 2009. Under his leadership, scholarships for Tri-C students became a fundraising priority; the Foundation successfully launched its first major gifts campaign; and Presidential Scholarship Luncheons raised significant dollars to benefit students.

The Cuyahoga Community College Foundation, chartered in 1973, is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to secure funding for scholarships and educational program development and enhancement for Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®).